Evolving Into Me
by tonks1
Summary: Letty left LA in Coup D'etat. This explains her sabbatical from the team. Letty/OC. Complete.
1. Exclamation Expletive

Disclaimer: I do not own Fast and the Furious, it's characters or its situations. I'm just writing for fun.

A/N: Because I couldn't leave well enough alone and I wanted to know where Letty went when she left Dom in Coup D'état. Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 1: Exclamation Expletive**

Ouch!

My head rapped against the wood of the door. The banging on the other side ceased immediately. Or at least I thought it did. I couldn't tell because I was slipping into a surreal moment. I saw Dom's face fall into shock. I rationalized that he didn't mean to push so hard, that our skirmish had escalated evenly by accident. I wasn't surprised by the push at all. I would have pushed him again if I hadn't hit my head. It shocked me out of what we had been doing seconds before. I saw his mouth moving but the silence continued to ring in my ears. My eyes started to tear up. Oh no, not now! I wanted to show Dom that I wasn't weak. The tears would be a glaring admission. I didn't want to win our argument this way. Embarrassed I turned, struggling to open the door and escape. I registered Vince standing in the doorway. Leon, Mia, and Jesse were lined up on the wall looking wigged out. Mia was crying. I didn't mean to make her cry. I needed a second to find my voice to talk to them, to calm Mia and Jesse down. Stupidly I rested my arm against the door jamb.

Wah!

The last time I heard a wail that pitiful I was standing next to Dom at his father's final race. For a moment I was delirious, my mind unable to process that I wasn't there in that moment almost three years previous watching Tony Toretto perish in the black `70 Charger smashed into the wall. I cried wounded as much at the memory as how Mr. T would feel if he could see us now. His nineteen year-old daughter crying in the hallway, scared that her twenty-one year-old ex-con brother was having a brawl with his nineteen year-old girlfriend. Or maybe he would be livid that we were fighting in the first place. I cried for Han who at twenty was across an ocean leaving twenty year-old Vince to straighten us out. Vince's brand of finesse was higher on the physical end as opposed to Han whose calm words may have soothed our hurts. Leon would try in his nineteen year-old way but he wasn't finished assessing the situation to find the solution that would suit all of us best. And poor eighteen year-old Jesse wouldn't be any help to us at all with his nerves on overload. Yet it was the person I least expected that stepped forward to me. Jesse pushed himself away from the wall to approach me, his actions striking me as sharply as the rap of my scull against the wooden door. I stopped crying, embarrassment truly taking over. I was feeling sick so I let me feet rescue me, taking me down the block to a place I hadn't slept in a long time.

Arrg!

I was frustrated. I realized as I stood in front of the door to the house that I left my keys on the dresser in our…in _Dom's_ room. Ringing the doorbell I let myself give in to the nervous energy I felt. Bouncing from foot to foot I decided that I would walk around the house if no one came to the door soon. I did not want to be visible from the street in case he came looking for me. I was grateful the traitorous tears had stopped seconds before the door was opened. My cousin Marisol had to flatten herself against the wall as I rushed past her. I'd heard an engine fire up down the street though my brain couldn't function enough to tell me whose car it was. Marisol shut the door quickly, throwing the deadbolt before turning to look at me with an incredulous expression.

"Ti Ti?" Marisol asked cautiously, the familiar nickname falling from her lips. The name invoked powerful feelings in me. Jesse thought the name was a play on the t's in Letty. It was half true. But Marisol wasn't the only person to call me that in my family, the name implying that I could act like a miniature aunt sometimes. Overbearing, protective, strong just like someone's older wizen aunt.

"Ri Ri," I answered her with her nickname. I felt my throat closing over the knot rising from my heart. I was in danger of breaking down completely right in the hallway.

"You know chica…" she started, her thick accent betraying her Latin roots. She knew something was up. I started peeked through the curtains watching Jesse's car speed past. I breathed a sigh of relief and my body started to shake from the stress I didn't realize I had building up.

"Dónde están?" _Where is everyone?_ Marisol looked at me perplexed.

"Mass. Es Domingo," _Mass. It's Sunday _she replied shaking her head ruefully before adding, "Bárbaro." _Barbarian. _I started laughing uncontrollably. I hadn't been to Mass in years; my Sunday's filled with either garage work or after-race recovery. My cousin was looking at me like I had lost my sanity. I struggled to explain.

"Dejé Dom. I no lo sé. No tengo ningún lugar a done ir." _I left Dom. I don't know…I have no place to go._

"What do you mean, you left him and you don't have no place to go?" Marisol asked me taking me by the hand to steer me into the kitchen. She thrust me towards a chair before rustling in the cabinets, unearthing a bottle of Patron and two shot glasses. Trust Marisol to need libations before processing my news.

"Hemos luchado y me fui. Pero él es un idiota. Me niego a estar junto a él y ver ponerse en peligro." _We fought and I left. But he is an idiot. I refuse to stand by and see him put at risk. _Why couldn't I process anything in English? I took the shot, the fire burning my throat and settling in my empty stomach.

Marisol pushed another shot towards me, "Beberla." _Drink it._ I drank again, this time swifter. The second shot seemed to take the fight out of me. I started to calm so Marisol put the liquor back in its hiding place and washed the glasses. "Ti Ti, what kind of trouble is Dom getting in to that would make you run home?"

"The Kenny Linder kind," I said. Well this was progress in the speech department at least. Idly I wondered if Dom had understood any of the final moments of our shouting match. I know I must have made the switch to Spanish somewhere during the shaking and the yelling.

"Huh. Well look, Tia Linda and the rest of them will be home soon and if they see you like that it is going to be on and poppin' at casa Toretto tonight ok? So let's get you fixed up and our story straight before then alright?"

I nodded before following her upstairs to her room. It hadn't changed much since we'd shared it three years ago. The full bed rested in the middle of the tiny room, Marisol bypassing it easily to stand in front of the closet filled to the brim with three times as many clothes as I owned. I looked down at the t-shirt I was wearing, pulling it out for a cursory sniff. At least it smelled clean. I recognized it as one of my work shirts because it was permanently stained with grease marks. I took a shower then returned to find an outfit waiting for me. The jeans were slightly tighter than I liked to wear mine but the shirt was completely me, a hoodie with long sleeves. It was light enough to not seem out of place to wear in this warm fall weather.

"Mari," I called descending the stairs. I smelled food cooking and met my family milling around in the kitchen.

"Ti Ti!" my mother called out to me, scooping me into a hug. I missed her. My hug was a little longer and deeper than I meant to give her. She pushed me back to stare at me, cataloging my strong arms and carefully scowling face. I would not let her see the pain she was putting me in by touching my covered up bruises. "You look hungry."

"I am hungry."

"You'd look less hungry if you stopped working on cars," she scolded lightly.

I rolled my eyes, "Ma."

My mother went to open her mouth but my father beat her to it, "Linda, let it go." I shot him a grateful glance. He shrugged then motioned to the table. I sat next to him. No matter how long I would space these visits I always came to sit beside him at mealtimes, the ritual understood by the whole family. He sat at the head now, waiting for my mother to bring the last dish to the table and sit facing him. Marisol sat next to me, her sister Lorraine sitting across from us. The only person missing was my brother Daniel. Mami blessed the food and then we started to eat, the conversation flowing pleasantly over clothes and the latest happenings in the church community. I was startled when the conversation turned to me.

"Excuse me?" I asked, my mouth open in the act of taking another bite of the plantains.

"Babies, Letty. You know, babies?" Lorraine said slowly, teasing me a little.

"Yeah, what about 'em?" My voice was gruffer that I planned trying to get a grasp on what she was talking about.

"Hector's cousin Carmen has a sister, Lita, who's having a baby," Lorraine supplied, clearly enjoying the interplay of confusion on my face.

"Yeah."

"And Tia Linda said it was sad because she's unmarried. But I think it could happen to anyone," Lorraine said conversationally.

"I guess."

"And then Mari asked if Tia Linda mean she was sad because of the baby or the fact that Lita's unmarried."

I caught on staring directly into my mother's eyes, "I'm not pregnant Ma."

"Of course not," she said quickly.

"I'm not married either," I gave her a ghost grin.

"But you are livin' in sin with Dominic Toretto, Ti Ti," Lorraine chirped, "and neither of those statements may last long."

"Well I hope Dominic would make an honest woman of you soon Leticia," my mother piped up in a tone that clearly said she was hoping soon would show up faster than it was currently doing. I found the irony of the statement pretty amusing though. She expected Dom to make me honest when he himself was getting ready to start part-time dishonest work.

"Actually I'm not living with Dom anymore," I said quietly. It took a few seconds for that to sink in. Marisol had the grace to look down at her plate.

"Mari, you knew and you didn't tell right away?" Lorraine asked shocked. "I'm impressed."

I laughed. My father looked at me with a strange expression on his face. "Do I need to have a talk with him?"

"No Papi. We just…" I tapered off trying to get the subject to drop. I wasn't able to stand by like Daphne had stood by for Han. I didn't want him to risk his freedom or his life this way for our team, our family. It bothered me that he, like Han, wanted to do these things alone. Couldn't he see that his decision to act alone still affected us all?

"Oh Ti Ti, but you have fought before. This will blow over and you will go back right away, you'll see." My mother said this with such finality that no one was left in question. The conversation was finished. After clearing the dishes, my cousins and I popped in a movie. We were about ten minutes into it when the doorbell rang. I stared at them. Had Dom come to get me already? Lorraine was quick to jump up and get the door when it rang again. She was as anxious looking as I felt.

"Um, hey is Letty here?" The voice was familiar but not Dom's. I sprung up from the couch and made it to the door before Lorraine could lie and say that I wasn't. Leon's face broke into a relieved smile. He was holding my duffel bag with the keys to my car attached. "Hey baby girl," he said sheepishly. Lorraine gave Leon an appraising look before moving into the living room to give us more privacy.

"Thanks for bringing this man," I told him trying to keep the conversation light. He thrust the bag into my outstretched hands then looked at me searching for whether I was going to break down. Finally he gave a soul weary sigh.

"No problem. I'm here, no questions asked, for whatever baby girl," he told me. I nodded my understanding. He wouldn't choose me over Dom or Dom over me. He would work to remain friends with both of us. He turned to lightly jog across the grass, getting into Jesse's Jetta. The two of them sped off. I grinned. They would try to throw Dom off by being gone longer than necessary. But just in case I would retrieve my car much later, when I knew he would be sleeping.

Bang!

The following morning I was awakened by the persistent banging on the front door. I guess Dom had finally decided to come and get me. I trudged downstairs grumpily trying to figure out how Dom knew I was here. I didn't think Leon would tell him. Then again, he knew me better than anyone else did. I noticed that everyone else was already at work so I threw the deadbolt in response to his banging. Then I sat on the stairs, yawning as I listened to him yell. I wasn't ready to forgive just yet. I didn't know what to say. A night of rest had let me really consider how I felt about my relationship with Dom. I'd missed him terribly when he was away in prison. But I'd lived with the man who'd returned for a year now. We knew how to tick each other off but neither had mastered sharing our less volatile feelings with each other. We both chose anger and nonchalance, never letting our guard down to discuss issues. Instead Dom felt he had to parent all of us. He made the decisions and the rest of us were supposed to magically go along with whatever he wanted. It was frustrating. I thought I would be happy to have Dom back but I missed having a say in how our family would work.

Dom kept banging on the door and my head started to pound. I decided to shelve my pride and call Vince. Vince showed up within moments to escort Dom home. I heard them shouting on the lawn so I walked upstairs to Daniel's old room to peek at the front lawn. Vince was punching Dom. Dom didn't fight back. Crazily I wanted to call out of the window, to tell them to stop but I refrained. I'd given Vince authority to come and drag Dom away by any means necessary so I couldn't balk at those means now. Finally Dom fell to the ground. I was going to intervene if Vince started kicking him, I wasn't that cruel. But thankfully the violence stopped. Vince left and so did Dom.

But Dom's campaign had just begun. For the following three weeks he began contacting me in a variety of ways, trying to apologize. I still didn't know what to say so I didn't respond. I wasn't angry with Dom anymore. I missed him but I couldn't figure out a way to respond that wouldn't condone his decision to work for Johnny Tran. I quit working at the garage, going to races, or hanging out anywhere I thought he might pop up. This pretty much meant that I hung around the house a lot for the first two weeks, driving my parents insane. Finally Marisol suggested that I look for work at a garage across town to take my mind off things. She really meant so I would stop driving them nuts. The following day I finally needled Hector into giving me a job in his garage. He really didn't want to get the gossip mill started so I spent most of my time ordering and picking up parts, which meant I was in the office or out of the garage most of the time.

But by that third week at home, I decided that I no longer needed to deny myself the activities I had grown accustomed to. I broke down and asked Marisol to dress me, then hurried to the 240sx. When I arrived at the races I was glad I'd let her put the shimmery low-cut purple top on me and the low-rise leather pants. The crowd was staring unabashedly at me. I brazened it out, going to greet Hector. Sam saw me and snapped me into a bear hug. I laughed. I refused to seek out Dom but I knew enough about him that Sam's gesture would rankle.

"Hey Letty, now you can beat these wenches off me," Sam whispered in my ear. I laughed again. Sam could be such a clown. I noticed that the crowd around us swelled. No one bothered to mask their surprise that I was here. I tried to keep my mind on my friends, listening to Hector set up the main event, but the comments got to me all the same.

"She doesn't look pregnant but still…"

"…wonder if it's Vince's baby."

"How long does it take to fix a broken leg?"

"Toretto know she's here?"

"First Vince, now Sam."

Sam rubbed my arm absentmindedly, probably trying to do his best unconsciously to protect me from the speculation but it wasn't working. I was getting ready to move back to my car when I turned and saw him. Dom was laughing at something Joi Tran had told him. I felt my shoulders tense then relax. _Easy Letty, you can't get mad that he's talking to another girl. You're not together remember?_ And then I saw her sashay away from him. But she didn't get far. He grabbed her from behind, pulling her into the cradle of his arms to whisper in her ears. I recognized the move. He'd done it to me numerous times. The move had its intended effect. The two of them got into the Mazda and I didn't need a play-by-play to know that he was going to be very Joi-ful tonight. I forced myself to stay till the end of the race and then proceeded to crumple into fitful tears when my head finally met my pillow.

Groan.

"I think you should start the New Year off free of regrets chica," my father told me as I curled up on the floor, my head resting on his knees. It was Christmas Eve and we were all waiting for Daniel to come home. My brother hadn't come home since he'd joined the Navy four years ago so we were all eager to welcome him back even if it was starting to get late. I tore my face away from the TV to look him in the eyes. He never looked at me but the wink and smile he gave told me he knew I was looking.

I sighed, "Whatever."

"I'm serious. You're going to have a rotten year if you take old hurts into the new one." I pondered this for a few minutes. Then the door sprung open. I was glad to know that Daniel still kept his key to the house.

My mother ran to the doorway to hug Daniel, kissing him over and over again on the cheeks.

"Ma," he grumbled out. The moment she pulled back he swept her into a long hug, rocking her back and forth. "Don't _cry_ Ma." I could hear the exasperation roll off him. She pulled herself together before grabbing his hand and dragging him into the living room. Everyone stood up to embrace him. First Lorraine, then Marisol, followed by our father, and finally me.

"Maybe we should get the locks changed," I said wryly. He poked me in the stomach.

"What? And leave them alone to fend you off? No se puede." _I can't._ We all laughed. Daniel's arrival finally made Christmas complete.

I guess I was feeling the after effects of having my brother home with us. I lay in bed Christmas morning thinking about Casa Toretto and how it related to what my father had said. I wasn't ultra religious or superstitious but I didn't want to bring on more hurts if I could help it. Besides I wanted to have my friends back. I missed Vince, Leon, Jesse and Mia even if I was feeling hurt by Dom. I decided that I would take my father's advice and patch things up on that front. I didn't want to start the New Year off still avoiding face-to-face contact with my extended family.

So after we opened presents at my house I made the trek down the block. Daniel offered to walk me down there for moral support but I scowled. I was old enough to take care of this myself. Or at least I needed to prove to myself that I had enough courage to face my own family. I idly wondered if Dom would slam the door in my face but I was saved the agony. Everyone was standing outside the Toretto house. Every step brought me closer to the car they were examining, their conversation becoming clearer. I saw Dom toss a set of keys to a squealing Mia. I heard Jesse ask if they could paint the car, at least. I guess they weren't going to budge on modifying Mia's car to go faster. Mia hugged Vince then Dom hit him lightly. Those two were always horsing around. The conversation moved back to tune ups and paint colors. I hadn't been noticed yet so I decided to play it cool and insert myself into the conversation.

"What about baby blue?" Dom's head whipped around to stare at me. The rest of them were looking at me with awe too. I guess I'd been unfair to abandon them all. I was glad my eyes were hidden behind my sunglasses. I felt my eyes tearing up.

Mia came to hug me first, "Baby blue is cool."

Leon came next, a kiss ready for me and placed in my hair as he hugged me, "Yeah, that's girly enough for baby girl."

"Could we add some lights underneath to liven things up?" Jesse asked. I was thankful for his one track mind. I crossed over to look under the hood, taking a moment to ruffle his hair. I saw his slight grin. Huh, maybe he wasn't as unaware as I thought.

Vince gave my hair a small tug as he joked, "It couldn't hurt to be all show and no go."

I called out to Mia, glad to see that they were going to let me back in, no questions asked. "Wait him out chica. He won't stand for anything that slow around here for long." I heard Dom huff at my assessment.

"I think I'll live in this case." I didn't think his voice could get that dry. Apparently I struck a nerve. I turned to look at him, my eyebrow slightly raised, a lopsided smile playing over my mouth. I missed him so much. I wanted to be closer to him, even though I knew he was with Joi Tran now. I pushed the stirrings of jealousy behind me. We stared at each other.

"Yeah Dom, you'll change your mind in time," Jesse said with finality. I heard the hood slam and then the rest of the team went into the house. I turned so Dom and I stood beside the Acura, glancing at it rather than at each other. And then we were back on the discussion of us, of our broken relationship. I didn't want to deal with this. His inability to take my feelings into account was raising my temper. I didn't want to fight so I turned to stalk back down the street.

"You're not going to stay for lunch?" _What?_ We'd just finished raising our blood pressure and he was going to invite me to Christmas lunch? Instinctively I paused to think about it. It would be a spread of all of the wonderful cookies, cakes, and pies that Mia would whip up in her Holiday spirit frenzy. It would be churlish not to at least help distribute the diabetic shock amongst more bodies, erm for their sake of course.

"On one condition."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Come up with a story for why we broke up. I'm tired of people thinking I slept with Vince. It's ruining my street cred." The ridiculous statement made us both laugh. Here was my friend. My Dominic. The guy I knew before prison had returned the hardened man. He waited for me to return and I walked beside him into the house, careful to keep things light and fun. I ate more dessert than I should have then happily accepted a platter of sweets to take to my family. And I went home that night with no regrets to carry into the New Year.

Damn.

"Ti Ti, at least try wearing a dress," my mother pleaded with me. This was an old argument between the two of us.

"But I _like _pants! I like them ma," I said, emphasizing my statement by pointing out my jeans. It was bad enough she asked me to help out in the kitchen to cook. I couldn't cook worth a damn. But now she was harping on my clothing choices again.

"But boys like seeing a pretty girl in a pretty dress," she insisted. I handed her the plate of raw seasoned chicken to brown in the frying pan.

I took a deep breath before speaking to keep the edge out of my voice, "I get plenty of offers while wearing my pants too."

"Yes," she said in a long suffering way, "but can you keep them Ti Ti?"

"Ma!" That was way below the belt. She was always dragging the conversation around to Dom lately. Huh. Guess she'd rather I live in sin than lose the man I clearly wanted.

"Boys want to marry girls, Ti Ti. Girls!"

"It's exactly that attitude that I have to fight at the shop," I said heatedly.

"I'm not saying that you can't work with the boys," she said quickly to assuage me. She turned the chicken over to brown on the other side. "I'm just saying that you have to play like the girls."

"And you think wearing a dress will fix that?"

"It helps." My mother looked around to check that my father was not anywhere near before she added, "Young men need extra clues to see so they remember that you're a young woman."

Oh jeez. I prayed someone would come in and save me. If she started to talk about sex I was going to run out of here screaming. In desperation I fought against my natural inclination to continue the argument, keeping my lips sealed together. I would make an effort to get along for the next couple of hours. She was going to be angry with me when she woke up tomorrow anyway.

"I've seen that one Dominick chauffeurs around. _She _wears dresses."

See! This is why I'd decided to leave L.A. I hadn't told anyone besides my brother. I didn't want anyone trying to stop me from going. From escaping Dom and his complete infiltration of my whole life. My mother couldn't see how her comparison rankled. I really fought the urge to set her straight. It wouldn't do for her last memories of me to be of us fighting.

"Yes but she doesn't mind letting anyone with eyes see her panties," Marisol said, breezing into the kitchen and sticking her hand out for the plate before crossing to the sink to wash it. I laughed.

"Mari, that's not nice," my mother scolded.

"But it's true Ma." I thought about me working under cars all day in a skirt and shuddered. Dom had been the only guy I'd ever shown my completely naked body. I definitely was not willing to put my "engine" on display for just anyone. I saw my mother trying to hold onto her composure. She wanted to grin too.

"And Tia Linda, you said good girls don't show their stuff to just anyone," Marisol added innocently.

"Well they don't have sex when they're not married either," I added to be fair. I couldn't help goad my mother. She frowned.

"Oye! No more nasty talk in the kitchen. I'm cooking." Bingo! Marisol met my gaze and we grinned at each other quickly. Nice save. I checked the time and debated whether I wanted to take this last ride out to the races. I contemplated sitting at home and yet something compelled me to go anyway.

So at ten I rode out to the warehouse district and played up my role. I greeted Hector and Sam. I talked trash to Edwin. I even checked out a supercharged Supra. Vince found me and dragged me over to where Dom was making a scene. Our approach explained why. I looked at the glossy black body of Mr. Toretto's Charger. For a moment I felt I had seen a ghost. I barely registered Vince's statement that he was going to race. I eked out a greeting to the rest of the team then let Jesse lead me over to the Charger. It was a masterpiece. Dom had really spared no expense or time on the rebuild. I know that he could have done it much quicker than it had taken him but he'd wanted to lovingly piece back together the strongest memory of his father. Carefully I made a circuit of the car, lightly tracing the surface. I used to do this as a kid. I felt a twinge of left over sadness at how things had changed so drastically that day at the tracks. I'd almost finished inspecting the exterior when I noticed the lug nuts had something scratched onto them. Bending I gingerly traced the engraved "T T", my heart breaking just a bit. Here was the Dom I remembered. My Dom. The boy who hero worshipped his father. That Dom was right here on these custom lug nuts. Painfully I stood twisting my face into what I hoped was an expression of indifference, as if I hadn't been touched by Dom's sentimentality.

Hector called for the race to begin, getting the crowd organized to block off a street for the main event. I couldn't stomach it though so I went home to pack. My mind was so full though that I took an extremely indirect route home, arriving near one am. As I exited the car I could hear the roar of the Charger's engine as Dom brought it home. I felt the ghost of Tony Toretto haunting me. The car sounded the same as it had all those years ago. I toyed with indecision. I really wanted to get a better look at the car, but I didn't know if Dom brought Joi with him. I decided to compromise by waiting ten minutes then sneaking into the garage to take a peek. I was surprised to find Dom still in the garage when I made it up the drive. Quietly I propped myself against the wall and struck a pose of nonchalance while I continued to watch him search the car over near where I had stopped earlier in the evening.

"Huh," he grunted. He sounded genuinely confused, as if he'd missed something in his inspection. I decided to make my presence known.

"Find what you're looking for?" His head snapped up. He looked stunned to see me but he recovered quickly.

"Depends. What did you see earlier?"

I felt sad. So that's what he was searching for. "Tony Toretto." It was all that I could force out of my rapidly closing throat. We each took a moment to let the meaning of my statement sink in.

"Did Jesse convince you to upgrade your nitrous injection system yet?" he asked me. I grinned. "Guess the kid couldn't help himself."

I noticed frilly chick magazines on his garage stool. Must be Joi's. Shit he never let anyone just sit in his workspace before. I guess their relationship was much stronger than I could have expected. My heart started to hurt again but I covered it with a cool, "Apparently he's not the only one." I was thrown by his eye roll.

"Mia's having an end of semester thing week after next," he replied changing the subject. Unfortunately it hinted at me being around beyond tomorrow. Suddenly the weight of what I was doing came crashing on me. I thought of Mr. Toretto and then about how lost and confused my parents would be when they woke up and I was gone tomorrow.

"Can we sit in the car? I wanna ask you something." Dom looked me over for a moment then motioned for me to sit in the driver's seat.

"Let's see if you can still handle her," he teased. He eased the key into the ignition and turned the engine over. Carefully I adjusted the seat and mirrors to suit me then raised my eyebrow at his lack of motion.

"Seat belt." He complied and I sped off, driving aimlessly to gather my thoughts. "I'm leaving."

"That's not a question."

"And you only got a 'C' in English?"

"Jerk." I laughed. He was still smarting about that one. I recognized that we were close to the oceanfront so I steered us to the beach to watch the waves crash. I loved the beach. It calmed me down in the same way engines calmed Jesse down.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Still not a question." I turned to face him with a slight grin on my face.

"Don't be obtuse when my parents ask about me."

"And why would they ask me about you?"

"They don't know that I'm leaving."

"So you're sneaking off?" I wouldn't have phrased it quite that way but I nodded just the same. His next question was filled with venom. "Are you knocked up?"

"Are you high?" I didn't mean to say it but I was losing my temper. What a ludicrous assumption.

"Are you?" His voice was edgy.

"No. What is your problem?"

"It's not like you to skulk away Letty."

I felt heat on my face, my temper fraying. "It's not like you to…" I broke off then took a deep breath. I did not want our last meeting to be filled with angry words. I would try to contain myself the same way I had done with my mother.

"Letty, I never meant to hurt you," he said quietly, his tone changing to the pleading one I'd heard back at the beginning of our break-up. I was starting to crack up. I flung myself out of the car then began to pace. Hood then trunk. Trunk then hood. I stiffened when Dom put his hands on my shoulders. He sighed into my hair and I felt myself get weak, "Letty…"

My control slipped and I started to ramble. At least it was in English. "I forgave you at Christmas you know. That's why I came back. I forgave you then and yet I am still so angry. I need space to be my own person. Right now, you're part of all the fabric of my life in LA."

"Letty…"

"Dom, you can't say that you aren't. You're King Dom of the LA race scene. I'm just Dom's ex." I felt disgusted at the admission.

"But why me? Why would your parents ask me?"

"Because they know I still have strong feelings for you." I couldn't tell who was more shocked by my words, him or me.

He whispered as much as a man with his deep voice could whisper, "Letty you don't have to leave."

"Yeah I do."

He rephrased, "I don't want you to leave."

Bitterly I thought of how he'd moved on to Joi Tran and I stiffened my resolve, "Trust me in a few weeks you won't even remember I exist."

"That's crap and you know it." It was at this point that I realized that he was angry with me too. He gripped my arms tightly and stared into my eyes. I'd forgotten that I wanted to de-escalate our fight, choosing to stare him back instead. I poured out the betrayal I had been feeling ever since he'd moved on. I brought up his quick recovery into the arms of Joi. I scoffed at his admonitions. Waiting for me, my ass. He hadn't changed. He wasn't willing to change, to do the right thing. He was willing to take someone who wouldn't call him on his shit. Our tempers raged out of control. I was tired of fighting it. I decided to brazenly let my curiosity take over. Could I move on and still stay in LA the same as he had done?

"Do you won't mind if I stay in LA and find a guy to fu…"I started to ask but Dom shook me. I was stunned. How did we let things get this far again? I struggled to gain some composure. "I guess you can't handle me moving on after all."

"Why are you torturing me?" he asked almost childishly.

"I'm not." I was feeling defiant not torturous.

"Then what do you want?"

Harshly I spat out, "I wanted to know if you still love me." And then I said softly, "Do you? Do you still love me Dom?"

It was now or never time. Here it was in plain view for him to reject me or confirm my wildest hopes. Dom never told me in words that he loved me. Instead he showed me there in the moonlight. And I showed him that I loved him back right there in the parking lot. I trusted him enough to let him strip me down, pants and all, and make love with him on the trunk of the charger. I forgot to care that anyone could come and see us, see my bared form at any time. I let that love keep me in a haze as he took me to my house an hour later and kissed me goodnight. I felt in his kiss his belief that I would still be in LA in the morning, that he had convinced me to stay. And until I caught my flight a few hours later I wrestled with the sadness that I was leaving the greatest love of my life behind.


	2. Vanity Plates

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Fast and The Furious. Sorry.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Vanity Plates**

The plane made a smooth decent into Norfolk International Airport, crossing over what I made out to be a highway seconds before we taxied onto the runway. I imagined what it must looklike from the road, the shiny metal underside skimming extremely close to the travelers below. It made me grin to think of the adrenaline rush I would get from driving that highway, feeling the wind in my hair, a plane skimming above.

I let the thought carry me through the small airport, past the baggage claim since I had carried my only bag onto the flight. The sun caressed my face, the same as Cali and yet it felt different three hours ahead here in Norfolk, Virginia. Somehow everything felt different, fresh and inviting, compared to the complicated life I had left behind. I took in a deep cleansing breath, slipping my shades on to hide my excited eyes.

"Ti Ti?" I heard the familiar male voice approaching from my left. I turned, a grin splitting my face as my older brother Daniel sauntered up to greet me, his arms outstretched to sweep me into a gargantuan hug.

"Um Ortiz, I pictured something a lot different when you said 'little' sister," a voice called out. Daniel turned to laugh at the guy, still holding me off the ground in the hug.

"Danny had you expecting a kid in a frill dress and pig tails right?" I said shrewdly as Daniel released me. He had the nerve to grin even wider. I turned to face his friend and got caught off guard. This guy was gorgeous. Six-two, dark brown skin, soulful chocolate eyes. Yum. I was glad I had shades on because I could feel my eyes raking over his body involuntarily, taking in his skinny appearance but muscled arms and thighs.

"More like overalls and a pony tail," the guy teased, offering his hand for me to shake.

"Letty, this is Parker. Park, this is my _younger_ sister Ti Ti."

"Letty," I corrected shaking Parker's hand. He gave me a quick but firm shake. Suddenly I wished that I had worn a skirt or dress as my mother had suggested. I definitely wanted Parker to see me as a woman first.

"Parker and I are on the same ship," Daniel explained. Oh, one of his Navy buddies. I would have to get used to hanging out with military types while I was here.

We walked to a Nissan Pathfinder and I mentally fought back the urge to beg to drive. It went against the grain after driving all these years to know I would be chauffeured around while I was out here. Or at least until I got a job and a car. Already I missed my 240sx. Parker drove us down the highway, on the same one that the plane had crossed over in the sky, and then switched to another one that he explained ended at the ocean's edge. I filed the information away. In no time at all we were pulling into an apartment complex and I noticed all the apartments faced a man-made lake. Nice.

"Yeah, so I live up here," Daniel said as Parker pulled up to one of the buildings to let us out. "And Parker lives two more buildings over."

"As you'll find out when ya'll come over later," Parker added grinning back at me. I gave my brother a quizzical look and he got out of the truck, my cue to get out and follow him to his apartment. He made a big production of showing me around his one bedroom apartment. It didn't take long. The place was larger than I expected though, the sliding glass door opening to a small patio space. Beyond that was a walk path around the lake, some grass, and then the man-made lake, a fountain continuously spraying water artfully into the air. I could get used to this.

"You like it?" Daniel asked me. I nodded. "Good, 'cause it's yours while you're here."

I gave him an odd look, "What do you mean?"

"Well I barely stay here as it is. I'm usually hanging with Anya at her place so…" he trailed off. I understood what he wasn't saying. He would feel funny having sex here with me in his apartment sleeping on his couch. Wow. So I had the place all to myself.

"Danny, you don't have to leave. I mean, I'm cool sleeping on the couch or whatever."

Daniel just waved me off before changing the subject. "So can I tell Mami and Papi that you're here yet? They sound real worried chica."

I shook my head no. "I don't want them telling Dom."

"You really think they would ask him to come bring you home?"

"Mami practically begged me to wear a dress to get him back."

Daniel laughed, "I see your point."

"So what is going down tonight?" I was eager to change the subject. The whole point of leaving LA was to escape to a Dom-free zone.

"Nothing too serious. We're going to Jillian's tonight but the crew is meeting at Parker's to pre-game first." I assumed Jillian's was a bar. I rarely went to one unless I was with people who knew…I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind. I wouldn't think of him again. I didn't want to sit around here alone regardless on my first night out here. I also didn't point out to Daniel that I wasn't twenty-one yet and probably not going to get into a bar but I would at least make an attempt. Maybe no one would card me here.

Daniel and I ordered in dinner and then took showers, getting geared up for an evening out. I debated putting on a skirt before I let common sense make the decision for me. I didn't know what kind of scene I would be getting in to. It would be best to be comfortable rather than worry if I was putting the goods on display. Maybe I'd be able to wear a skirt the next time I saw Parker. I felt my face getting warm but I quickly pushed the thought down. In the end I opted for a pair of hip hugging jeans and a tight cropped t-shirt that showed enough stomach to be bar wear.

I was ecstatic to find that I was wearing the right kind of clothes for the excursion when we walked the short expanse to Parker's apartment. Parker lived on the second floor and I felt a twinge of guilt thinking about the people who lived underneath him. There had to be at least fourteen people milling about in his apartment and the resulting noise of feet and his blasting music must have been a form of psychological torture for them.

"Hey, what's your poison?" Parker said over the music pumping out of the surround sound in his living room. I noticed that Daniel made himself at home, greeting everyone in the room before downing two shots in quick succession. Okay. I guess Daniel wasn't expecting to drive tonight. Parker caught the indecision on my face before he grinned and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "Don't worry. I'm driving tonight."

I frowned. Parker had a cup in his hand too. "But you're drinking too." I felt like such a little kid but it was so ingrained in me to be sober when I raced that the prospect of watching others get behind the wheel messed up made me cringe. He laughed again, this time tipping the cup to my lips for me to take a sip. It didn't smell lethal so I took a sip. "Soda?"

"Yep," he whispered in my ear, "with this crowd, they'll never notice I'm completely sober." Then he pointed out two guys and girl in the crowd covertly with the hand still holding the cup. "And they're doing the same thing I promise."

I felt myself shiver at the tickling sensation his whispered breath made against my ear. I couldn't gather my thoughts. What the hell? This had only happened to me with one other person in my life. Having these feelings here with someone else was unsettling. I must have looked indecisive because Parker crossed the kitchen to quickly pour me a soda.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Look, if you want something stronger when we get to Jillian's I got you." He winked then went to join the rest of his friends. Daniel finally circled around and spent the next ten minutes introducing me to the other people in the apartment. All of them were either in the military or linked to one of the people in the room who were in the military. Suddenly the music was shut off. This was a cue for everyone to gather their stuff and head downstairs. Daniel and I joined a guy named Finnegan and his girlfriend Morgan in Parker's Pathfinder.

One highway and thirty minutes later we made it into downtown Norfolk. As it turned out, I didn't have to worry about being carded at this place. Jillian's was much more than a bar. It was a restaurant and arcade too. We each bought cards for the arcade then shuffled to find a table to place our jackets and give a central place for the waitress to bring the others their drinks.

"So are you a Dance Dance Revolution junkie or shoot-'em-up gamer?" Morgan asked. My mind shifted to thoughts of Jesse and how excited he would be in a place like this. Daniel beat me to a response.

"Letty's more of a race car addict," he quipped.

"Oh really? You any good?"A guy they kept calling Douglass asked me eagerly. I shrugged my shoulders. I was decent at the games, able to hold my own against Leon and Vince. But I had to get Jesse real distracted to beat him when we played.

"Well let's start with the racing games then," Morgan decided. We approached a bank of six racing seats our cards out and ready to play.

"Since you're new to game night, I'll explain how we play," Finnegan said as we watched six members of our group get comfortable and submit their cards to play. "We always play the easiest setting first, and then the winner of this group will get to stay while the rest of the players have to change out. The winner then gets to pick which setting we play on."

"And whoever is the winner after everyone has played at least once gets to pick the next game we play," Daniel supplied.

"Which sucks if the person is crazy good at a particular game," Morgan added ruefully, "because we could end up playing the same game the _whole_ night."

"What? It's not my fault ya'll suck at DDR!" a seriously feminine blond, Patricia, called out. She was assigned to the same ship as my brother and Parker. I grinned. The rules seemed easy enough. And then the game began. Playing with them was going to be fun. The trash talk and banter was interesting to me, reminding me of a street race. The first race finished, Douglass winning by a nose. The other five people switched out and I watched my brother and Parker taking their turn. Daniel was ok but he came in fifth place. I laughed at him and he stuck his tongue out at me. Finnegan was winner of the second set so everyone switched around again.

Morgan and I were part of the third heap. Finnegan switched to the medium level and I felt myself go into the mental zone I usually slipped into at a street race. Three. Two. One. Go! I slammed my foot on the 'pedal' and started inching up to the leader, Finnegan at this point. We all got to the first turn and then I heard him curse. I'd edged him out. It didn't take long for me to keep the lead, a wide grin splitting my face. I crossed the virtual line first and let out a breath. That had been fun.

"Ha! Way to go Letty," Patricia cheered.

"Beginner's luck," Finnegan teased. I heard Daniel guffaw behind him.

"What?" Morgan looked quizzically at Daniel and my grin widened.

"You still run your 240sx on the streets Ti Ti?" Daniel asked with mock innocence.

"Yep," I said casually.

"You know Ortiz, you and your sister are a couple of sharks," Parker said. We all laughed.

"I think I we need a rematch now that we know not to go easy on ya," Douglass said to murmured agreement.

"Well Letty's winner so she can choose," Morgan jumped in. I liked that. It was my choice. My choice mattered even if it was just which game the group played.

"How about this Dance Dance Revolution thing?" I asked my thought to deflect attention from my driving skills. Patricia whooped with joy and we made our way to what I found out was her best game. The group played around in Jillian's for another two hours. We'd made it back to the racing game twice, each time I cheerfully won. I was glad I'd practiced against Jesse. The game had helped my standing in the group. To be fair though, I chose different games but the guys usually circled us around to the race cars to challenge my skills.

We made it home around one am. Daniel walked me to his apartment door, practically shoving me inside before hopping in his 350z. I guess he was on his way to Anya's house as promised. I would have to talk to him about his car choice in the morning. Correction, I would have to talk him into letting me borrow his car in the morning.

* * *

"So you're doing what now?" Daniel said before stuffing another mouthful of lasagna into the orifice that was currently both grossing me out and pissing me off. His girlfriend Anya looked me directly in the eye before she shook her head. I vaguely thought that love was pretty powerful if she could put up with his disgusting eating habit that would even make Mami cringe.

"Forget it," I told him. Daniel laughed at me, making me frown.

Parker spoke up, "I take it this is a step down from what you did in LA."

Daniel beat me to a response, "Hell yeah dude. A receptionist Ti Ti?"

"No," I ground out, "A service advisor."

"So you schedule appointments for the technicians?" Anya asked in an attempt to stop Daniel from goading me. It didn't. He started laughing outright.

"Something like that," I gritted through my teeth. If I had known Daniel would have gotten such a kick out of me shuffling paperwork instead of getting under the hood of cars I would have never brought up my new job at the dealership.

"Yo man, I don't get what's so funny," Parker said dryly. The four of us had gotten together at Anya's insistence at Daniel's apartment. She wanted to meet me and dinner with Parker was something they did on a regular basis. After three weeks, I had been excited for a chance to see him again. But now since I wanted to beat my brother with a stick I was rethinking the extra witnesses.

Daniel's laughter died to a chuckle before he explained, "Letty you're going to go nuts being that close to a garage and not being allowed to tinker with the tools." I looked Daniel square in the eyes before we both burst into raucous laughter. If I was honest with myself I could see the oddness of the situation. I thought of my time spent at Hector's garage, barely allowed breathe on the tools and my mirth cooled. Yeah, this was going to be tough.

"I'm guessing you put in a lot of work on that 240sx Ortiz mentioned you drive," Parker said, his eyes turning to mine. They were alight in curiosity but his mouth was turned down in the corners. I guess he couldn't decide whether he was going to be impressed by my answer or put off.

"Yeah, I put in the wrench time," I said casually, not breaking eye contact. He stared at my eyes for a long moment before glancing away to spear another piece of the lasagna.

"Don't be modest Ti Ti. It doesn't suit you," Daniel said after a healthy gulp of lemonade. Anya took his momentary pause to lift his almost empty plate and gather hers, practically running to the kitchen before he could protest for it back.

I rolled my eyes, "What do you want me to say Danny?"

"I dunno you've been working on cars for almost a decade now. You could come up with something better," he said waving his hands in a gesture that clearly meant I should have blown up my accomplishments more.

"A decade?" Parker said his eyes back on mine. I felt his eyes grow shuttered and I suddenly wished that I was a chick that wore skirts full time instead of sporadically like I was tonight. I had a feeling that my familiarity with cars had struck a nerve. Oh well, brazen it out.

Anya returned to carry away the rest of the plates, "Wait! Don't tell any stories till I get back."

"Yeah, well this story is better for the boardwalk anyway," Daniel added, pushing back from the table to help clear the cups. I stood, ready to help carry in the last of the incidentals from our meal and found Parker staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied, helping me to finish cleaning the table.

After the leftovers were put away, we headed towards Parker's Pathfinder to ride out to the beachfront. It would be my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean and I was excited, even if I was uncomfortable in my new skirt. It was made out of jersey material, grey with purple stripes, and cut in odd angles at the bottom. It went with the grey tank top I was wearing and the grey sandals I'd decided went with the outfit at the last minute. Mia would have been proud I'd gone all girly girl by myself. We reached the oceanfront without much commentary other than the three locals discussing where to park. The conversation didn't get picked back up until we'd all stopped on a bench to watch the sun set and eat our ice cream.

"You're kinda young to have ten years in a garage Letty," Anya stated, licking her ice cream with indecent pleasure on my left side.

"I used to spend time in our neighbor's garage mostly watching in the beginning," I explained, working to gloss over the details and the feelings behind them.

Daniel snorted, "Ti Ti practically spent every waking moment in old man Toretto's garage." I glared at him, wishing he wasn't sitting on Anya's other side. I wanted to step on his foot.

"I'm surprised a man offered to teach you," Anya said impressed. I understood her surprise. Auto Mechanics is a very male dominated field.

"Mr. T was very equal opportunity that way." I smiled at the memory of him coming to the house to ask Mami and Papi if I could learn from him and handle the tools.

"Yeah ten year old Letty practically strong armed the guy into asking our 'rents if she should hang around his garage," Daniel supplied.

"I could totally see that," Anya chuckled in agreement. I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the horizon as the sun began to set behind us. The feeling was odd because it made the water seem more ominous. Or maybe it was just me having only experienced the sun setting over the water.

Parker must have noticed my discomfort because he leaned closer to me before speaking, "It's more impressive to watch the sun _rise_ on this side of the country." I felt myself shiver at his closeness and made an effort to cover this by taking an extra long swirl of my ice cream with my tongue. I felt him stiffen his posture and return his gaze to the water.

"Well if you have all this mechanical training, why not get a job as a mechanic instead?" Anya asked.

I gritted my teeth, "I needed a change." I felt them all look at me; I guess the bitterness in my voice had been more apparent than I wanted it to be.

"Oh kay," Daniel drew out before standing up, "Let's talk about something else. Who's up for pool?"

"I feel like taking the rest of your paycheck off you Ortiz," Parker teased. And like that the conversation turned to easy ribbing. I turned to watch the last of the sun's ray's wink out between the gaps of the hotels lining the oceanfront then lengthened my stride to catch up with them. We ended up in a bar a few minutes later and soon the insults were being traded as we set up for the first game.

"So how do we split into teams?" Anya asked jovially.

"Me and my sister versus you and Park?" Daniel offered up quickly. I guess he remembered I was decent at pool.

Parker shook his head, "Hell no. I didn't forget how you played us at Jillian's. Try again."

"Well what about girls versus boys?" Anya offered.

"I am all about a battle of the sexes," I agreed. Beating Daniel at pool would feel just as satisfying as stepping on his toes for bringing up the past I was trying to leave behind.

"Alright then, rack 'em up," Parker seconded.

Daniel sighed dramatically then conceded, "At least let our team break."

I shrugged and Parker took the first shot, the break clean. I nodded at Anya who stepped up to take the first shot, sinking the five ball with ease. She followed up by sinking the seven and two before missing the three and returning play to the guys. Daniel, not to be outdone pocketed the ten and thirteen before setting his sights on the eleven, he scratched instead. I lined up my shot, easily finishing off the one, three, four, and six. Daniel just shook his head at Parker with a 'what were you thinking' look on his face. I laughed, missing the eight by an inch. But it didn't matter. Parker only managed to pocket the fifteen, before play returned to us. Anya ended the game with her next shot.

"Dude, I think we need to re-evaluate these teams," Parker said, half joking.

"Great, I'll partner with Letty," Daniel said eagerly.

"What part of 'hell no' did you not comprehend earlier?" Parker teased making us all laugh.

"Fine then," Daniel said sidling up to Anya, "take her."

We settled into the second hand, this time my team had stripes. It didn't take us long to clear the table of all of the balls save for the eight. Parker was up and he took the shot, quickly sinking it and causing my brother to scowl, gritting his teeth as he asked for another round. To be fair I switched teams with Anya. But Daniel's luck was just really off tonight because we lost.

"Aww Danny, don't be mad," Anya said coming to rub his shoulders. His posture relaxed even though he pretended to still be pouting.

"Yeah, you only lost most of your check, not the whole thing," Parker added with a grin. My brother rolled his eyes then took Anya by the hand.

"Let's go. I'm guessing the _service advisor_ needs her beauty sleep," Daniel said, clearly letting me know that I hadn't heard the last of his mirth on the subject. I just rolled my eyes, eager to get close enough to him to kick him in the ass instead. As I stepped behind Anya and Daniel to leave though I felt Parker's hand gently touch my back while he held the door. Flustered but acting as if I hadn't been affected I pranced past him making sure that we kept the Daniel and Anya between us all the way back to the car. And I even made sure that I sat in the back with Anya on the way back to the apartment complex. I was feeling relief when Parker pulled into a spot by his building almost bolting from the Pathfinder as soon as it stopped. His touch had made me jumpy in a way I couldn't describe.

"Hey thanks for the entertainment guys," I said quickly but Anya called out before I could take more than two steps.

"Letty, you mind if we all come in to get the leftovers I divided up?" I stopped and turned to face the group again, shrugging. I was careful to keep my face impassive as I turned and heard three sets of feet following me. Apparently including Parker in the division of the leftovers was routine too. Since Anya had done the prep work before we left, she made quick work of picking up the container for her and Daniel. In seconds she and my brother had made it back out the door leaving me and Parker staring at the two remaining portions.

"Just take whichever," I said, waving my hand casually in a sweeping gesture.

Parker stared into my eyes for a moment, a wry grin turning the corners of his mouth. He licked his lips and I felt myself unconsciously lick mine. Then he shook his head.

"What?" I felt myself getting defensive.

"Do I need to worry about that cat from Cali coming to beat my ass? 'Cause I like you but I don't won't look as pretty with a black eye," Parker said. His comment caught me off guard and I gave a genuine laugh, my eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Ahhh no. No black eyes in the forecast." Parker grinned wider at me.

"Then let's work on making our relationship an exclusive thing," he said, gathering me up in his arms, lifting me slightly so he could kiss me without bending ridiculously. In that space where my feet had ceased to touch the ground I felt myself give over to instinct totally. Parker was offering me a chance to try something, someone, new. I vowed in the moment our lips touched to let go while I was in Virginia and give into my desires more. Just as I was getting eagerly into the kiss Parker pulled away, placing me back on the ground then stepped back to rub my arms gently.

"What?" I said dazed, licking my lips.

He laughed again, "Damn girl, I still want to take my time."

I laughed heartily again then wrinkled my nose as if his restraint was distasteful, "Huh. In that case, here's your dinner."

I shoved one of the plastic containers into his hands then turned not bothering to look and see if he was following me. I made it to the door, opening it with a flourish then standing aside to let him pass. Parker made it to where I was standing, trying to contain the smile that was threatening to overtake his face. I held out my hand for him to shake but he caught my shoulder instead, crowding into my space and bending down to breathe against my neck.

"Goodnight Letty," he said kissing my neck. I groaned and he straightened, rubbing the spot he'd just warmed with his lips. I stuck my thumb out, pointing at the threshold I expected him to walk through. He walked out and I gently closed the door behind him. I wondered if I was locking the door to keep him out or to keep me from following him home.

That night as I lay on my back giddy at the prospect of dating Parker but frustrated as well. I didn't want to compare the old with the new and so I didn't, anticipating and planning for the things that I wanted to do while I was potentially finding myself. Parker may not have realized it but he'd opened the door for me to try and be anything I grew into being. I would get to figure out who 'Letty' was, without the added pressure of my history clouding the behavior of the people around me. Parker had also given me my first challenge. Instead of instant gratification, Parker was trying to teach me patience. I grinned to myself. The operative word was 'try'.


	3. Ringing Emotions

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Fast and the Furious, its characters or situations.**

**A/N: And so here I am going to skirt the 'T' rating. I am warning you upfront that there will be a side trip to a strip club. You'd probably experience worse on telly still you've got the scandal warning so proceed at your discretion.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Ringing Emotions**

"It's about effin' time wench," Mia huffed. I'd waited three months before I broke down and answered Mia's call. It was comforting to know our friendship hadn't deteriorated with my lack of attention. I could tell because she wasn't shy in letting me know how my silence had made her feel.

"What's going on chica?" I felt the slightdisplacement of the sand as I turned my head to the side, nestling in the crook of my folded arms. I guess my Bluetooth was going to get a workout today on the beach.

"Don't try to weasel out of this one. How dare you disappear on me?" I could hear her anger trying to overshadow the hurt she must be feeling from my complete lack of contact.

I closed my eyes, letting the July sun warm my back before responding, "I didn't disappear…I'm on sabbatical."

"From what?"

I cattily wanted to say 'From Dom' but I refrained, going for a less dramatic, "From LA."

"Are you going to tell me why you're hiding again?"

I scowled, "I ain't hidin'. I kept the cell phone didn't I?"

Mia seemed to ponder this. I had kept that link to my life in LA, the cell phone that Dom miraculously continued to pay for. Although knowing his spotty book keeping history he probably hadn't realized that I was still on his plan. "Oh then. Well if you're not hiding then where are you?"

"On the beach."

"I should have known. In which _state_?" she asked me shrewdly. I felt myself grin involuntarily.

"Mia, I'd rather waste my battery on all the team shenanigans than an attempt to track me down."

She paused for a minute. I guess she weighed the outcome of badgering me over the urge to keep communication lines open now that I was picking up the phone. She wisely decided to take my offer and change the topic.

"So we went to a race in the desert last month."

"What race?" I asked. That was interesting news.

"It's called 'Race Wars'," she said animatedly, "and I have never seen so many hot racers in my life. It was held over the weekend at this abandoned airstrip and the place was a racing haven. The boys all entered of course."

"No surprise there," I interjected.

"And Dom still didn't let me race," she followed up, tension flowing from that statement. It was an old argument, one that I had fought on her behalf at one point.

"So what's there to do if you're not racing?"

"Well I hung out with some of the vendors and I even got drunk with Hector and his crew the first night." I heard her heave a heavy sigh, the rustle of shopping bags, and then the tell tale clink of metal hangers. She'd been shopping and had to reorganize her small closet to weave the new pieces into her wardrobe. I felt myself internally grin at Mia's antics.

"So you wait till I leave to get wild. I guess I missed out."

"Oh yeah girl, you missed it. It was awesome. But don't tell the boys that, they'll never let me live it down," Mia added conspiratorially. I felt sadness settle on me. I missed my best friend.

"So did you make a play for any of the hot racer guys?" I teased.

"Erm, ah, no," Mia stammered out. The shuffling in her closet paused.

"So did the boys go nutso over the women there?"

Mia gave a giddy laugh, "They were occupied with other…"

I turned over on my back cutting across her response, "What would be more important than cars, chicks, and Corona?"

"Well I guess when you put it that way, nothing. Well maybe it was Dom's fist fight with Johnny Tran or Vince winning the top prize." She said the last part kind of fast so it took me a minute to process what she was saying.

"Vince won over Dom?" I started laughing uncontrollably. Vince was probably rubbing it in every chance he got. It was rare that anyone else shone in Dom's universe. She joined me and we laughed ourselves out after two failed attempts to get ourselves under control. Then I clamped in on the other part of her statement, "Wait, so Dom came to blows with Tran?"

"Yeah, about that," she started then seeming resigned to gossip, closed the door to her room and spilled the goods, "Dom cut Joi loose and Johnny took offense to how he did it."

I shook my head even though I knew she couldn't see it, "Oh no Mia. No way."

Mia had the audacity to pout, "Every reason for staying away is moot Letty. Tran is out of the picture now. You can fix things with him. I know you want to fix things with him."

I felt a shadow fall over me and a large hand caressed my bared stomach. I shivered, looking into Parker's face. He gave me a look like he was trying to figure out who I was talking to and what had my mouth turned down at the corners. To be honest, I couldn't tell whether I felt relieved that Dom was no longer doing shady jobs for Johnny or pleased that his relationship with Joi had gone up in smoke. But mostly, I didn't want to care regardless. This is exactly why I hadn't picked up the phone. I wasn't ready to go back and I wasn't ready to deal with all the emotions that came with it.

"Whatever," I said, more to buy me time and keep the details of my former life to a minimum for Parker's sake.

"He misses you. I miss you too," Mia said softly. I could hear the tears in her voice. I got angry to cover the guilt I felt.

"I highly doubt that," I said low and sharp.

She didn't let her temper bite and I felt worse, "Just remember that ok? I'll let you get back to your beach. Just don't forget there's a beach here too alright?"

I hung up on Mia, not even bothering to say goodbye. Parker noticed that my mouth was pursed. I was trying not to cry, my glassy eyes under the sunglasses would not be given away.

"Hey girl, it's time for a water break," he told me, removing the sunglasses before getting to his feet then helping me up. My hand automatically slipped into his and we waded into the ocean together till the water covered him up to his belly button. It was definitely past my navel out here.

"For a moment there I thought you were going never going to come join us," Patricia said, squatting low enough to let the water run over her shoulders.

"Well Cali raisins are the best," Finnegan ribbed. The whole group groaned. Daniel swam over to him and proceeded to try to pull Finnegan under water. A mini water fight ensued. Anya pulled me under dislodging the perfect position of my bikini bottoms.

"Hey you don't play fair," I said as she swam away from me laughing. Great, now my cheeks were exposed to the water. I moved my hands to covertly move my suit back into a comfortable position when I felt a pair of arms surround me. Hands swept below the water to rub my hips, getting more skin than suit. I turned my face to see Parker grinning down at me.

"I wasn't expecting that but I refuse to complain," he whispered in my ear.

I laughed wickedly, "Well leave it better than you found it." Parker took up my challenge, using the tips of his fingers to find the edge of my suit and gently replace it to cover my whole behind. I heard his breath quicken.

"If ya'll don't cut that nasty crap out," Patricia griped. I used the flat of my hand to push a small wall of water in her face. The group erupted into laughter again. We continued to enjoy the sunshine until finally stomachs started to grumble in protest. The group jovially broke up, calling goodbye and promising to get together again soon. And what went from approximately ten people ended up being just me and Parker. He and I walked hand in hand to his car, Parker opening the passenger door for me and giving me a hand to get in. I didn't need it but I always felt a shiver when he did gentlemanly things for me. The gestures were some of the few times he would get close to me.

We were back at the apartment complex within fifteen minutes and I waited patiently for Parker to come and open the door for me. I'd learned a few weeks ago that I preferred waiting for him to do this than succumbing to his form of 'behavior reconditioning'. It usually involved me getting less contact than I wanted from him. Parker opened the door for me and I turned to get out of the car, my right leg already reaching for the pavement. Parker stopped me with a hand on my thigh.

"Wait," he whispered, his hand sliding up to caress me. _'Damn, what did I do?'_ I thought wildly before his mouth was slanted over mine hungrily. He was kissing me possessively, his hands not urgent but applying sweet pressure to my skin. My leg twitched involuntarily as he grabbed my left leg to turn me to face him. I let my arms circle his neck, hands clasping behind him as I gave myself over to the passion that had been building between us ever since that first night I arrived in Virginia. Resisting the urge to squirm I finally pulled back, pecking him a few times on the lips before he sighed and helped me out of the car.

We walked silently to the door of Daniel's apartment, our hands linked. I took the keys out of my beach bag, unlocking the door knowing that the moment I opened it our date would be over. He'd kiss me and we'd part ways, sometimes with Parker's added behavior modification that would leave me feeling like I'd want to do nothing more than rip my clothes off in public and…

"Huh?" I asked. I had blanked out for a minute thinking about how he could make me feel and we hadn't even had sex yet. Parker grinned. I guess he knew where my mind was at the moment too.

"What are you doing next Sunday?" he asked, turning me to face him and twirling a strand of my hair around his finger lazily.

"Nothing, why what's up?" Sunday's were my one day off during the week and for the past few weeks Parker and I had found ourselves on excursions with different members of the VA Beach crew.

"I'm going to a farewell barbecue and I want you to go with me."

"Someone I know?"

"No, but it's someone I grew up with. I think you'll like him," he said quietly, still playing with my hair, "You two have a lot in common."

"Ok then I guess I have plans for Sunday." Parker smiled and I smiled back. It took him less than two seconds to back me up against the door, his arms bracketing either side of my body, his face dangerously close to me.

"Letty," he started.

"What did I do wrong now?" My breath hitched as I said the words, my heart started to pump faster. My body was preparing for him to leave me cranked up all night even though my mind was trying desperately to keep him from doing so. He didn't respond verbally, preferring to kiss my nose before following with a deep soul searching kiss on my lips. He knew exactly how to get me to respond, despite knowing that it wouldn't end with release. And I gave in, knowing that it was frustrating and thrilling all at the same time.

We stood outside Daniel's apartment for ten minutes, the tug of war between us familiar and yet edgier tonight. I felt a buzzing zip through me before Parker pulled away. I was dazed so it took a minute for me to register that he'd pulled his cell from his pocket. Wow, was it only nine thirty?

"Hey yo," Parker said jovially as if nothing more was happening than he's sat on the couch for the last ten minutes. I started to turn away but he moved his free arm to pull me into a hug, my face against his chest. I could feel the rumble as he continued his conversation.

"Tonight?" I felt him shift to look down at me even though I didn't watch him do it, "I don't know man I mean Letty and I are chillin' tonight…Oh Word...You know I'm askin' her," Parker started laughing. I pushed back to look at his face.

"Ask me what?"

"Hold on," Parker told the person on the other end before asking me, "Hey, you feel like going to a strip club tonight?"

I didn't hesitate a beat, "Sure."

Parker laughed again before finishing out his phone call, "She said yeah…We'll meet you down there…A'ight cool, later."

"So how long do I have?" I wanted a chance to wash some of the salt and sand off me before we went to hang out. Parker opened the door for me, gently shoving me inside.

"I'll be back to pick you up in fifteen."

Fifteen minutes turned out to be plenty enough time for me to shower and get dressed. I left my hair to air dry, knowing it would gently curl into something decent. I finished slipping into low heeled sandals when there was a knock on the door. Parker stood on the other side in a purple button down shirt and jeans.

"We are going to look like the friggin' Bobsey twins," he remarked, taking in my tight jeans and purple shirt. I liked this top a lot: it scooped gently in the front, caressing my curves and stopping right where the top of my low rise jeans began.

"I think we'll live this once," I said, eager to be on our way. I closed the door then turned to throw the deadbolt when I felt Parker's hand skip across my bared back. There were two small straps around my arms that kept the top up but my whole back was exposed. Suddenly Parker was crowding me and nipping my ear playfully, his arms snaking around my waist.

"I don't know if I want you meeting my friends now," he said to me seductively. I pushed back against him to give me space to quickly walk around him.

"Come on, we already promised." He was not going to cheat me out of this experience. Resigned Parker drove us to the strip club across town to meet his friends. I thought I would know at least one or two of his friends but to my surprise I was introduced to a whole new set of people, all of them guys.

"Yo Ty, is this Letty?" one of the guys called across the table.

"Yes sir," Parker responded. I lifted an eyebrow to stare at Parker. I knew his name but it was odd to hear him called by his first instead of his last. These must be civilian friends. We sat on the end opposite him, and oriented ourselves to the stage.

"Hi I'm Alex," the guy sitting next to Parker said, extending his hand for a shake. "What do you want to drink Letty?"

I had to think for a moment. I wouldn't be twenty-one till next year. Parker knew since we'd celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago. The first guy saved me though.

"Six shots of Patrón," he told the waitress without hesitation. One for each of us at the table. The waitress assumed that we all were of age nodded and walked away. Guess that handled that hurdle.

"Letty, I'd like you to meet my childhood friends," Parker announced before pointing in turn from closest to him to around the table, "Alex, Greg, Wes, and Doug."

"I didn't think you'd come," Wes grinned at me. I just raised an eyebrow. Greg laughed outright, punching Wes playfully in the arm.

"Letty seems like she'd made of sterner stuff," Doug, the first guy added as the waitress brought back the shots.

Alex took a look at them then called the waitress back, "You might as well bring the bottle." She grinned, nodded, and moved off to retrieve the bottle of Patrón. The guys lifted their shot glasses and I followed suit. Parker turned to look me in the eye, a half smile on his lips and his eyes wide. I stared back.

Doug coughed then toasted, "To the ladies!" The other guys echoed his words but I grinned wider and then we took the shot. I stifled the urge to cough or reach for water right away, even though I wanted to.

"You good?" Parker whispered in my ear. I nodded. Alex poured a second shot then passed the bottle around till we all got our glasses filled with the liquor. This time I tooka deep breath before tossing mine back. I felt my chest getting warm but I didn't feel inebriated so I diligently filled my glass again.

"Uh oh, looks like Letty wants to really roll with the boys tonight," Greg teased. I raised my glass in his direction then took the shot down. It burned slightly less but my lips started to tingle. Before we could get around to pouring the fourth round a female voice announced the next dancer. I oriented my face to the stage, eager not to see the naked female body, but to figure out what the allure was. I was hoping that experience would explain why men frequented strip clubs.

The woman, Cherry Strawberry, took to the stage in a ridiculously small red skirt and matching corset top. She stalked down the length of the stage, careful to keep her movements in time to the thumping rock beat that blared from the stereo system. There was a smattering of whistling before some man yelled out to 'Show us what you got'. More whistling ensued but she took her time, the routine obviously choreographed but matching up with the man's words. She slipped out the skirt which I found to be a miracle as she still had on six inch stiletto heels then made her way back up the stage, before she began to undulate and shimmy her way to her knees. While most people were occupied with her leg work, I saw her arms movebehind her back to unhook the corset. It came undone and she flicked it off to a chorus of cat calls. What she was left with was a see through matching red panty and bra set. Cherry Strawberry made her way to the pole and started to fling herself around it with such grace that I felt compelled to clap too when she finished her strip tease. As the announcer thanked Cherry, I noticed that she used much more speed to clean up the dollars that had been thrown carelessly on the stage. She retrieved her scattered clothing then gracefully ran off the stage, clearing the way for a new girl.

The next performances ended up being a repeat of the same. Some of the women did more tricks on the pole than floor work but it all amounted to the same. After a half-hour of dancing, the announcer called for a small intermission. Doug grabbed the bottle then passed it around. We were going to have another round of shots. The tingle in my lips had subsided but I was feeling extremely warm and giddy on the inside, even though I was suppressing the outward expression. Not willing to be left out I drank my shot after a chorus of, 'To down ass chicks!" It would have been churlish if I had refrained since the guys had raised their glasses to salute me. The waitress came back and Parker ordered a glass of water.

"Boo!" Doug heckled.

"Whatever dude, I'm driving," Parker replied before leaning over to whisper to me, "You don't have to meet them shot for shot."

"Uh huh," I said. The bottle was passed and I took another shot. Then I frowned before garbling, "Hey whereizbathroom 'round here?"

Parker pointed it out and I slowly gained my feet. I wove slightly as I made my way to the bathroom then made the biggest mistake I could. I bent over to...I don't even remember why…but suddenly the room started spinning as I righted myself. I took a deep breath. I couldn't be drunk off five measly shots, could I? But as I wound my way back to my seat I must have looked it. Unable to really get a grasp on my seat, I plopped onto Parker's lap.

Greg laughed again, "You don't drink much baby doll."

"I've drank before," I said. It's true I had a history with Corona's but never with hard liquor or taking shots. This had been an unexpected first.

"Well not a lot. You're wasted," Alex chided. I felt Parker sigh beneath me then rub my back while the guys laughed. The announcer introduced the dancer's again and they took turns with new songs and routines. At the next intermission I felt my eyes starting to droop.

"Well fella's it's been real," Parker said, helping me to my feet and casually slinging and arm around my waist. The guys each said goodnight, Doug booing again that we were leaving so early. I waved and we were off. Time sort of jumped after that. One moment I was being helped into the Pathfinder. The next we were in front of his apartment building and he was standing at passenger door, helping me take off the seatbelt.

I came back to painful consciousness around four am when I ran to the bathroom and succumbed to vomiting. And I started my Sunday off with a nasty bout of sickness followed by a scrub of my teeth, two aspirin, and a tall glass of water all prescribed by Parker. I felt gross because I was sweating profusely but Parker produced a t-shirt for me to change into then helped me back into…whoa.

"You didn't take me home," I grumbled weakly. I didn't want to agitate myself too much in case I felt compelled to be sick again.

"Well I know where the aspirin is in my apartment so…" he trailed off while rubbing circles onto my back. I fell back to sleep within a few moments. My next foray into consciousness came with a pounding headache at eleven thirty. My cell phone had gone off seconds before but was now repeating its ring pattern in earnest. I groaned, not even bothering to look at the caller id and picked up the call. I didn't even speak, hoping that whoever it was would think I was the answering machine and leave me a message.

"Letty?" the familiar voice should have chilled my spirits but I was feeling too crappy to dredge up proper emotions. "Letty, you there?"

"Ahhn," I ejaculated, not bothering to come up with words. I just wanted to burrow back underneath the covers and pass out for at least ten more hours.

The voice paused longer than necessary and then questioned cautiously, "Are you drunk?"

"Ah, no" I groaned.

He laughed, the sound reverberating through my head, "You're hung over."

"What do you want Dom?" I said grumpily.

"Nothin'," he drawled calmly, "Actually the garage has been really busy lately if you needed something to do."

I sat up quickly. Oh man, that was not such a hot idea. "Did Mia put you up to this?"

"Mia? What does my sister have to do with any of this?" he sounded confused.

I was already angry though and my voice rose, "I won't be manipulated."

"I'm not trying to. I thought we were still friends. And right now I need people I can trust in my garage." There was an edge to his voice that bordered bitterness. Guess life on the opposite side of Johnny Tran wasn't fun or profitable. I took a deep breath, opening my eyes to see Parker leaning against the door jamb to his bedroom. Right, I forgot I wasn't at home. I calmed myself.

"I can't."

"I figured you wouldn't," he sighed but I could tell that he was smiling then his voice got low, "Letty I miss you. I want you to come back."

I stared at Parker and started shaking my head. _What did I want?_ I felt the prickle of tears. _Crap. Where had these come from?_ Dom had told me time and time again that he was sorry, that he wanted me back. Then I remembered that I was extremely hung over for the first time in my life and maybe my emotions were out of whack.

"I can't," I whispered. It was the most I could say around my closing throat.

"Letty, I don't care how far you are, how long you stay away, if you hate my guts. I could date a hundred girls. Hell, I don't care if _you_ date a hundred guys. You'll always have me. You've had me since you were sixteen. And right now you're the part of my family that's missing. I can't function without all of my family Letty."

I started crying, the tears silently coursing down my cheeks. I couldn't respond. After all this time he'd finally said the words that would break me, that would make me want to come back. I didn't notice Parker had come to stand next to me until I felt the bed dip and his arms wrap around me. He guided me to lie beside him and I mutely rubbed my face into his chest, trying to erase the tears that continued to fall.

"Letty?" Dom asked worried, "You still there?"

"Uh huh."

"I don't care where you're at Letty. I'll come get you if you want." The words were flowing out of him in a rush. I started shaking my head in panic.

"What's wrong?" Parker asked me, his hands rubbing my back.

Dom's voice immediately got accusatory, "Who's that?"

"Oh fuck," I said before flipping the phone closed, effectively ending the call. I expected Dom to call me back again, to want to yell and demand an explanation, but the phone remained silent. I burrowed my face in Parker's shoulder to keep him from seeing my tears. He knew they were still falling though because he kept rubbing my back, occasionally patting my hair.

"Guess that was the cat in Cali," Parker said lazily as my tears started to subside. I pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"Yep."

"Yep," he parroted, "So you still coming next Sunday or what?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked confused.

"Aren't you going back now?"

"Why would I?"

Parker gave me a funny look like he was telling himself off even though the words were meant for me, "No chick cries like that for nothing. Makes sense you wouldn't stay here long."

"I'm a bad ass. I hardly ever cry," I pouted. Parker laughed and then I joined in. I sounded like a naughty six year old kid.

"Come on, let's see in Ortiz has aspirin at his place," Parker prodded, holding his hand out to help me up. I picked up my shoes, pants, and shirt from the night before then headed for the door. I wasn't going to bother to put on all those clothes when we were walking less than two minutes between the apartments. His boxers and t-shirt were covering up enough for the small trip. Parker raised his eyebrow at me and I stared at him in return.

"What?"

He grinned, "I forgot. You're a bad ass." He took my stuff and held my hand. In less than two minutes we were inside Daniel's apartment. And in two minutes and six seconds I was looking at the speechless open mouth of my brother.


	4. Evolution Complete

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Fast and the Furious, it's character's or situations.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. I'm happy to say this is the last chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4: Evolution Complete**

Pulling into the park the following Sunday was like a mini homecoming for me. I hadn't seen this many supped up cars since my last trip to races in Cali. I felt myself slipping into my comfort zone of practiced nonchalance. This was a situation I was well versed in dealing with. Parker's hand on my thigh pulled me back to the present.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded then waited for him to come open the door. _'You're in VA now,'_ I reminded myself. This was a set of people that had no history with me. I didn't have to act the part of the unruffled ex of the king of the LA streets. Here I could be non-racing Letty. I plastered a huge smile on my face as Parker led me into the throng of people milling around. He seemed to know just about everyone at this party and we spent a good deal of time with introductions.

"Letty, I'd like you to meet my cousin Mary…my Uncle Travis…my boy Nico…my cousin Tori…my second cousins Ronnie and Bruce…" He rattled off at each stop. We did bump into some people that I already knew but they were few and far between.

"It's about time you got here Ty," Doug said walking up to shake hands with Parker. He gave me a once over, smiling slowly. "Thirsty Letty?" he asked me, shaking a bottle of Patrón. I shook my head.

"Hey, you seen the man of the hour?" Parker asked.

"Yeah, he was grubbin' over there," Doug said, using the bottle to point to a covered area where a spread of food and people were sheltered from the summer sun. We rounded the crowd, approaching near the grill. The older man behind the grill waved to us then tapped a woman near him. Her face locked on Parker's and then she was squeezing the life out of him.

"Baby! You haven't been by the house in ages boy," she said chiding him.

"I've been busy," Parker said smiling down at her then glancing at me.

"I can tell," the man teased giving me a once over.

"Well who's your friend Tyler," the woman asked. I worked to keep my face from turning into a wicked smile. Tyler! I was going to bust his chops later.

"Ty, Mama, Ty," he said exasperatedly.

She gave him a light smack on the arm, "Stop stallin' and sassin' me."

"Mama this is Letty. Letty, this is my Mama and my Pops."

"Letty…Letty…" she was trying to recall some information, "where are your people from darlin'?"

"Excuse me?" I didn't understand the question.

"Mama," Parker exhaled on a sigh.

"Your folks are from around this area?" she marched on.

"Uh no." I said.

"Mama, Letty's from California. She doesn't have big family here."

"Oh you poor child. No wonder you look so skinny," she said, reaching out to grab my hand between her own, patting it gently. Parker's eyes shot heavenward.

"Now Jeannie," Mr. Parker said, his face working not to break into a hearty laugh, "maybe we should offer them some food. Let them mingle with folks a bit."

Mrs. Parker tsked, "Tyler and TeJay are skinny too. That's what happens when children leave home. They don't eat proper."

Parker pinched the space between his eyes, shaking his head. I understood completely. I had lived even closer to my parents back in LA and I rarely went for dinner or visits. Mami constantly harped on about it too. I gave a lopsided grin. Mr. Parker appeared with two plates, stuffing them in my hands and waving us off. Mrs. Parker gave him an odd look but he just grabbed her around the waist, planting a large kiss on her lips.

"Let's move quickly," Parker said shuffling me down the table so we could grab food.

"Your Mom is entertaining _Tyler_," I chortled.

"Replace entertaining with embarrassing." We loaded our plates and wove through the tables to a table occupied by a rowdy group of people. I recognized Alex and Wes from our night out. They made room for us at the table and conversation continued to flow. We spent the first twenty minutes eating, listening to the group discuss the pros and cons of the different beaches on the East coast. Parker got up to discard our trash, coming back with two cups of a sweet smelling punch that almost covered up the smell of alcohol mixed in. I shot him a look and he smiled back. My last experience drinking had made me more cautious. I would go slowly this time.

"There really isn't much of a difference between the beaches here or in Miami," someone shot out.

"See, this is why you're staying here and I'm going down there," a skinny guy with braids said, sauntering up to the table. A chair was vacated for him and he sat down smiling. Parker gave him a head nod which the guy returned.

"Ty, what's happenin' dude?" the guy greeted.

"It's your party man. You tell me," Parker replied.

"Aigh't then," the guy gave me a once over. His face was very familiar. He looked like he fit in with the other members of Parker's family that I had already met. "Well Mama's gonna do cake. Then we're going to do fun runs, followed by a very large bash at my boy's house."

"Fun runs?" I asked.

"Tej is a street racer Letty," Parker said conversationally. As if I couldn't tell.

"Yeah. You ever been to a street race before?" Tej asked me. I shrugged my shoulders.

"A few," I said in a dismissive tone.

"Well normally we race for money but tonight we're just racing for fun," Tej said before going into a mock stage whisper, "It will keep the losers from beefin' tonight."

I laughed. Parker casually put his arm around my shoulders. Tej's eyes sparkled with a comment but his father called for everyone's attention. The crowd hushed as Mr. and Mrs. Parker stood in the middle of the place.

"I want to thank everyone for coming out to TeJay's farewell," Mr. Parker announced, "I don't know why you're trading our beach for Miami's," there was a few hoots from some of the people at our table, "but we wish you the best son."

There was some light applause then someone started chanting for a speech. Tej stood up to offer a few words to the delight of the crowd.

"So yeah, thanks for comin' out. I wanna thank my Mom and Pop's for setting this up," there was more applause, "and remind all the sexy available women that I expect a hug from each and every one of ya."

There was more applause and laughter. And then there was cake. People started to disburse after that, a lot of the Parker's family sticking around to help clean up. I made an attempt to help clean up but Mrs. Parker waved the younger people off.

"Go have ya'lls fun children," she said. She sounded happy but I could see the tears in her eyes. She was going to miss her son. Tej hugged her, giving her a kiss on her hair. Parker followed up then we returned to the cars.

The racing was different from what I normally encountered. They did sprints encompassing turns and miles rather than the ten second drag races I was used to. We watched the first heap of people race from the picnic area to a school two miles away. The second race went from the school to an empty library parking lot.

"Alright people, this is the final race. We go from here to JoJo's crib in Chix's beach. Who wants to race me?" Three more people eagerly took Tej up on his offer, Wes started them off, and then we all traveled to JoJo's house.

"Chicks beach?" I asked Parker as we wound through the city streets to a quiet area that wasn't near the beachfront we normally went to.

"Not chick's like girls but C.H.I.X. you'll see."

Oh boy did I see. We pulled onto a small street, parking steps away from the sand. Parker took my hand, leading me instead of to the house where everyone else was heading to the sand. I took off my heeled sandals and we walked along the sand. Oh wow. The view was spectacular. The water was interrupted by an enormous bridge. The intervals of street lights were enhanced by the lights of the cars speeding along it. From our vantage point I could see where the lights lowered into the water, the dark space between them, and the point where they rose back out.

Parker came to bracket my body from behind, whispering in my ear, "C.H.I.X.s beach. That's the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It connects the south side to the eastern shore."

I stared at it in wonder. It was so close. It looked like it could be very fun to drive on. I imagined speeding along it with the wind in my hair, the sea below and all around. I marveled at how large it was too. Parker and I stood there, staring at the interplay of bridge and sea for a long time before he took my hand and we continued walking to the large pylons supporting the bridge. I tentatively reached my hand out to touch the stone, slightly warm from the heat of the day. I could vaguely feel the traffic above rumbling through my fingertips. I dropped my shoes, placing both hands flat against the pylon and closed my eyes. I was having a moment. I felt Parker slide his hands up my legs and under my skirt. He paused at the tops of my thighs.

"Letty," he whispered in my ear.

"Hmm?"

"You look like you're going to go orgasmic over the bridge," he teased softly. He started flexing and relaxing his fingers, making my knees want to buckle.

"I don't know about over the bridge," I replied huskily, "but under it I just might."

He laughed lightly, "You bet." And then he proceeded to make sure I got very orgasmic under the bridge.

* * *

The summer ended and with it came hurricane season. I could have easily lived without the raging tempests. Sure earthquakes had been annoying in LA but they hit and then went away. We weren't guaranteed to get them every year or to have a lot in a short span of time. Here these storms brought nothing but irksome rain, wind, and violently ended the summer. And they happened _every_ year. I was very happy when November rolled around and it seemed the storms were pretty much behind us.

"So you, Ortiz, and Anya are invited to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house," Parker told me rubbing his hand over my back lazily. At least it was lazy to him. I was getting turned on. I rolled over to the opposite side of the bed, snuggling into the pillow.

"Ok. Do we need to bring anything?" I remembered the time we'd invited his parents to his apartment for dinner. His mother had insisted on not coming empty handed so she'd brought three types of dessert.

"Nah. I'm already having a large harvest bouquet sent to the house for the table." I nodded, burrowing beneath the covers. I felt him inch over then start rubbing my arm.

"I have to go to work early tomorrow," I warned feebly.

"What?" he asked in mock shock.

"You know what." He laughed before plastering himself along my side, breathing into my ear. I started tingling.

"I can't help that you're horny all the time."

"You're so full of shit," I ground out. Parker patted my back then moved back to the opposite side of the bed. The light turned off and he settled down. I started flopping around in the bed. I couldn't get comfortable. Well if I couldn't sleep…I crawled over to Parker's side of the bed. He laughed, turning to kiss me and then we worked on tiring me out.

"Yeah man, we're almost there," Parker spoke into his earpiece. We were getting off the exit for his parent's house.

"I'm so sorry…"Anya started again as Parker hung up.

"Seriously, it's cool. Tej's stomach can wait an extra half hour," he cut her off. Daniel turned to me in the back seat and gave a ghost smile.

"I'm not sorry about what made us late either," Daniel teased. I turned to see Anya's face flaming in the seat next to me.

We entered the house five minutes later, Tej whooping with glee as he hugged us. Mr. and Mrs. Parker gave us hugs too. The food was blessed and then we started passing the bounty. The first ten minutes were filled with the scrape of forks on the plates and satisfied moans in honor of the tasty feast.

"Damn Mama, I sure missed your cookin'," Tej exclaimed before taking another mouthful of mashed potatoes and peas. She patted his hand affectionately.

"Well eat up. You look really skinny. What are you eating down there?"

"Probably not food," Mr. Parker said from his position at the head of the table. I dropped my fork. Across from me Daniel laughed and Anya's face went scarlet. To my left Parker shook his head and continued to eat.

"How is Miami?" I asked to give my mouth something to do other than flap open. Tej, who was sitting to my right, gave me a smile that made his eyes sparkle.

"Hot. Busy. I opened a garage near the water so there is plenty to occupy my attention," he replied. I nodded absently.

"I'm sure there is. I still don't know why you had to move all the way down there to open your garage TeJay," Mrs. Parker commented, spooning more macaroni and cheese on his plate. Her position at the other end of the table put him right next to her.

"Lord Jeannie, let it rest," Mr. Parker said in that familiar way older couples who love each other have. Her eyes flashed but she didn't seem angry. She looked like she was gathering her patience to bring up the subject again later.

"Can that extend to my news?" Parker asked, drawing eyes to him. I saw him give my brother a slight head nod which Daniel returned.

"You moving too?" Tej asked after gulping down another bite of turkey. Where was he putting all this food?

"Our ship is deploying in January," Parker said. I sat completely straight in my chair, my eyes bouncing between Parker and Daniel.

"Oh," Anya said her face crestfallen. Daniel reached over pull her into a one-armed hug.

"Don't worry babe. It's only for six months," Daniel told her bracingly. Parker looked down the table at his mom. She looked sick.

"Mama," he told her quietly, "don't worry."

Mrs. Parker looked like she wanted to cry. Both her boys would be away from her.

"Yeah Mama don't worry," Tej told her. He held her hand and looked her in the eyes, "Parker will have a chef on the boat. They'll make sure he eats well."

Mrs. Parker cracked a smile and Mr. Parker laughed. The gloomy mood was lifted.

And it was easy in the following six weeks for me to pretend that my relationship with Parker wasn't going to come to a screeching halt. We just didn't talk about it. Christmas came and went, the holiday spent with Parker's family. Tej had flown up from Miami. He claimed he was just really hungry but we knew he wanted to spend time with his brother before the deployment.

But by New Year's Eve Parker had started a campaign to pull away from me. He barely spoke to me the whole time we were at Jillian's, preferring to joke with his friends, urging me to spend more time with my brother. I didn't understand the behavior. He had to know that I was willing to wait for him to come back, just as Anya was willing to wait for my brother. Or at least I hoped he knew that if he asked me I would wait. I wanted to tell him that but he dropped me off at my brother's apartment, claiming that he was going to go to his parent's house really early in the morning. I let him brush me off with a lame comment about not wanting to disrupt my sleep. I'd tell him when he came home the next day.

But I didn't hear from Parker for three days. I was starting to move from being worried to being royally pissed. He hadn't seen my temper. In fact, since my arrival I'd only blacked out once and let my temper really fly. I hadn't had a problem with my technicians underestimating me at work since I'd put one of them in his place. I called Parker's apartment, unsurprised to get his machine. I felt my temper boiling right under the surface. I didn't even leave a message, preferring to go take a shower to try and relieve the tension building in my body. I wasn't used to this kind of lack of response. Usually when I had a problem I faced it head on. But it was pretty hard to face the problem when the person was avoiding you. How ironic. Now I knew how frustrated Dom had felt for those weeks I refused to have contact with him.

I got dressed in sweats and a tank top. I threw on a pair of flip flops, grabbed my keys then in a nod to the January chill shrugged into one of Daniel's sweatshirts. I was all set to storm over to Parker's apartment and set him straight when I bumped saw him leaning dejectedly against the door jamb of Daniel's apartment.

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked icily.

He heaved deeply, "Can I come in?"

"No." The response was harsh and automatic. He reached for me and I slapped his hand. He had the nerve to look amused.

"I'm going to earn your slaps but I'd prefer not to do it out here. It's cold," he told me. A gust of wind whipped past us and I shivered. He gave me a sad little smile as I let him walk past me into the apartment.

"I didn't have a girlfriend the last time I deployed. I don't have any experience with this," Parker whispered. He sounded apologetic and embarrassed. I gave him a hard look.

"Well you're not _dating_ me at all so…" I trailed off in my dismissive tone. His actions the last few days had stung. I didn't want to add a break up on top of the loss of a large chunk of my social network. The deployment of the ship meant that Finnegan, Douglass, Patricia, and many others besides my brother and Parker were leaving too.

Parker laughed darkly, "What have we been doing then for the past few months, playing around?"

"Parker…"

"Don't answer that." He flopped down on the couch, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"What is your problem?"

"You," he said quietly. I stood still with my arms crossed just watching him. He lifted his head to look at my face. His mouth twisted into a half smile, "I don't really want to say goodbye to you Letty."

"Is this because you think I won't be here in six months?" I decided to cut him a break. He looked pretty sad. Parker held his hand out to me. I let him pull me closer, guiding me so I was sitting on his lap facing him.

"Oh Letty. I can't ask you to wait for me. You know how wonderful these last eight months have been? I didn't think when I started that I would grow to love you as much as I do. Even if you are the toughest chick on the planet to romance." Parker's eyes were closed again, his body slack beneath mine as he recalled memories. "It took me forever to condition you to accept me treating you like a woman should be treated."

"Oh that's what you were doing," I prompted. I reached out to stroke his ears to give myself something to do with my hands. He huffed.

"Yeah. You know it is ok for guys to open doors for you. It doesn't make you weak. You're just getting the respect you deserve. The same goes for walking you to the door or taking you on a date. It's not meant to insult but to show how much you're appreciated."

"I'm just so used to being one of the guys I don't even notice."

"I could tell. That may be how it is with the guys you grew up with but you have never been one of the guys for me."

"So then what's the problem? You don't think I can wait for you to get back?"

"Jealousy. And no I don't think you should wait for me to get back." Parker didn't act as if he were going to offer me more of an explanation.

"Which explains nothing. You're going to need to be more specific," I stated even though I knew that whatever that had led to this decision stretched much deeper than he was letting on. Parker opened his eyes to stare at me.

"Letty, I can pretend that you really could stay in VA permanently. Hell I can overlook that you have this really messy past in Cali," he said, his hands wrapping around me. "But deep down I know that you're in love with that guy you left in Cali."

I started to get up but he wrapped his hands tighter around me. I started to struggle but Parker's grip got tighter. He laughed at my frustration.

"Let me up," I told him in a low dangerous voice.

"Chill," he said with humor, "I'm not trying to minimize the feelings you might have for me."

I stilled. I stalled, "I don't have any feelings for him."

"Really?" he said astonished. "That was a lot of fighting for someone who doesn't have any feelings for her ex."

"I'm not talking about that."

"I really want to know what makes people leave everything they know behind to start over somewhere else. I'm trying to understand why you would give up doing the work and people that you obviously love." I gave Parker a sideways hostile look. He grinned, holding my fists in his hands. "Letty, if I asked you to marry me, would you?"

The question caught me off guard. I blinked at him stupidly. I didn't know what to say. I really had to question the feelings that had been building between us. I cared for Parker. It had gone beyond initial attraction and lust for me. I was struggling with him leaving almost as much as I was struggling with my brother leaving. But did I care about him enough to completely commit to being with him? I felt my heart thumping wildly, the sound pounding in my ears.

"I think I've made my point," Parker told me. I hugged him feeling him rub my back for a minute before he pushed me back to look in my eyes. "Letty, orders came down right before New Year's. We'll be gone for two years."

I started shaking my head. Two years! I choked out, "That's much longer than six months."

"Yeah. Look I love you. But I know you love that cat in Cali. I can't ask you to wait. But when I come home, I'll invite you out here. Hell, I'll buy the plane ticket. And you can decide then," Parker told me. The kiss he gave me was full of love. It was a goodbye kiss, I could tell, but he still made sure that the love was there. Miserably I crawled off him then walked him to the door. He reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out a silver chain with two dog tags attached. He slipped the chain around my neck. The tears that started to fall obstructed my final view of him as he walked out the apartment.

* * *

"Miss?"

I shook myself out of my thoughts. The driver was handing me my change. I took it then climbed out of the cab, giving the house we'd stopped in front of no more than a cursory glance. He helped me carry a large suitcase to the front door of my parent's house so I tipped him. For a moment I stood there, looking at the door. The last time I'd been on this street had been a year ago. While I missed my parents they weren't the people I had thought about long and hard in the last three months. Those people were down the block in a white house with bright colored cars in the driveway. The front door opened and my cousin Marisol peeked out. She opened her mouth comically then pointed in the direction of the living room. From the sound of the TV I deduced that my parents were in there. I pointed to my bag and she winked.

I skipped off the porch and down the street to the Toretto house in record time. I could hear the chatter around the back of the house and smell the barbeque from the driveway. The familiarity made me smile. I'd given myself three months to decide whether what I really wanted was on the East or West coast. I knew that what was in this house was more important to me because I'd never find it no matter where I ran to. I think the best thing I could have brought them back from the East coast was myself. I wasn't the little girl who'd run out of here almost two years ago. I'd evolved into the woman who commanded more respect from them. Who expected better treatment from the men in her life. Who had decided to stand by my family strong and unconditionally because that's what strong women do.

With those thought in my mind I whipped out my cell phone and dialed Leon.


End file.
